Excerpt: Goals

CHAPTER 3

STEP 1: SET REALISTIC GOALS

“A Goal Is A Dream With
A Deadline.” --Napoleon Hill

Chances are if you’re
reading this book, you have a dream.
A dream to write a novel.
Maybe to get that novel published.
One of the best ways to make your dreams come true is to set goals. We all know what goals are, right? They’re things we want. Things we’re striving for. Things we’re willing to work for, not
just desire. Here are some tips
for achieving your goals.

MAKE IT BLACK AND WHITE

“Vague Goals Produce
Vague Results.” -–Jack Canfield

What, exactly, is a vague
goal? One that doesn’t
clearly define the results you want.
To write a novel is a great goal, but it’s not specific enough. What kind of novel? How long? Do you want anyone to read it? What readers are you targeting?

In the same vein, to sell a
book is another great goal, but again, it’s not specific enough. This goal covers everything from
self-publishing a “how-to” on building a steam engine, to selling a “book here
and a book there” to different publishing houses in a variety of sub-genres.

So be specific. Specific but flexible.

You don’t want to cheat
yourself out of a goal. For
instance, what if you start writing one genre and find you hate it? Or what if you target one publishing
line, only to find the line closes?
Being specific about your goal, but being able to adjust your goal in
the face of obstacles, will increase your chances of accomplishing it.

A fun tool to help you
narrow down your goal is to try and picture it. If you’re a visual person, close your eyes and imagine the
goal. See it in your mind as if it’s
happened already. For instance,
see yourself in the bookstore watching people buy your book off the shelf. See yourself winning major writing
awards or your name on the NY Times Best Seller list. Whatever your goal is, see it in your mind. If you’re not visual, imagine how it
will feel. Bring in the emotions
and excitement you’ll experience when it happens.

Once you’ve narrowed down
your goal, honed it, and made sure
this is exactly what you want, the best thing to do is write it down. Writing down your goals empowers
them. It gives that extra boost
that takes them from a wish to a determined path you plan to take. One famous study from Yale in 1953
indicates that the 3% of Yale graduates who had written goals had more wealth
years later than the other 97% of the class combined.

Where you write your goals
is totally up to you! You can type
them up in a computer file or you can create a goal book and note them
there. Experts say that handwritten
goals and affirmations carry more weight because they involve more of your
body’s focus and effort, but the key is to write the goal and keep track of it.

EXERCISE:
List three specific, major goals you have with respect to writing.